


Second Best

by Fischadler



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-10
Updated: 2016-05-10
Packaged: 2018-06-07 13:39:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6807262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fischadler/pseuds/Fischadler
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. They live in a world where you forget the one you love the most. So everyone tries their hardest to fall in love with the one they love second best.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Second Best

**Author's Note:**

> So this story is my poor attempt at picking up writing again... on a new site, new rules, new sexy writing formatting, new beginnings. Come on let the writing magic work! It's wingardium leviosaaa~aaaah! I've been in a slump that surprisingly lasted over a year, hopefully it ends now. If you're familiar with my work on fanfiction.net, all the candygrams to you! None for Gretchen. I'm planning on slowly transferring all my stories from that site to this one, so it might contribute to update lag. Also, I apologize if this story has bad flow. This is probably my first time writing a story without a proper outline. Prob gonna update character tagging as the story progresses. God I'm so nervous...

Fuji Shusuke always wondered what bound people together.

Because they lived in a world where no matter what, you always forget the one you love the most.

It wasn’t some sort of phenomenon that suddenly occurred from a pandemic or otherworldly interference. It was just a fact of life; that your firsts will never last. And because of that, there was a common saying: _To prevent heartbreak, love the one you love second best_.

... But everyone knew that was the biggest joke in the world.

Because he didn’t have to be a genius to realize that he couldn’t escape the laws of this universe.

As a result he wondered... if his most important person were to pass him by, if his head couldn’t remember then would his heart?

So he took pictures.

He took photographs of everything and anything. Each printed image a perfect memento, stored carefully into multiple volumes. So if the memories stored in the annals of his brain would disappear, at least he had this much to hold on to.

His first week of high school filled an entire album.

A class photo, with each name scribbled neatly listing his classmates from top left to bottom right. The members of his tennis club, some candid photos of practice and some with obvious posses. Yamato-buchou in particular liked to contort into weird shapes every time the camera lens pointed in his direction.

More personally the picture of a redheaded boy with caption: _Kikumaru Eiji. We share homeroom and we joined the tennis club together. He’s super fun to be around. I adore him, please don’t forget him._

And then the candid photo of a boy in his high school tennis club who had caught his eye.

_Tezuka Kunimitsu. He doesn’t talk much.... seems to have a tennis racquet perpetually stuck up his butt._

* * *

His father came home the other day from his office in New York City.

They had dinner together as a family in the dining room.

The entire time, he listened to his father recall stories from overseas in an attempt to convince his children to move west with him. His Yumiko-neesan firmly refused, because although she adored American fashion and music, she couldn’t fathom leaving Japan. His adorable younger brother Yuuta objected to the idea as well for the reason that his super fighter robot show that airs every Sunday morning at 11:00 doesn’t play in the USA.

So his father let out a sigh and turned towards his mother with a weary smile, “Sorry um...”

“Honda Yoshiko.” Because Honda was his mother’s maiden surname.

“Sorry for the trouble Honda-san, it looks like you’ll continue to be their house taker.” He said jokingly, before his face would crumple strangely... as if struggling, searching in the deepest recesses of his mind for the answers to a question he dared not ask.

And he watched as his mother smiled back, without batting an eye.

Because even though it was painful to be together, she has the satisfaction of knowing that her husband loves her the most in this world.

* * *

“I wish we lived in a world where you forget the one you hate the most.”

Fuji turned to meet Kikumaru Eiji’s sky blue eyes, “... Where is this coming from?”

“You know Oishi?” The redhead leaned in to whisper, “He’s so stuck up. He actually had the nerve to try and lecture me.”

“Well, you _were_ being a little loud during practice.” Fuji reasoned, “You were starting to draw the attention of the seniors. And you know what they’re like...”

“Like who does he think he is?” Eiji continued, “My mom or something?”

Fuji laughed, “If he was your mom, what hole did you pop out from?”

Eiji’s face turned a shade comparable to his hair.

He had to snap a picture.

“Fujikooooo!!”

* * *

Taking a look back at his earlier albums, he was relieved to remember each and every detail of Fuji Yuuta. His younger brother was way too adorable for his own good. There had always been a fear in the back of his mind or heart, that his person would be Yuuta. But that fear slowly washed away with Kikumaru Eiji. Because their instant chemistry and friendship terrified him. Just like how his Yumiko-neesan forgot her best friend, he wasn’t ready to forget his own.

So he tried to reach outwards. Branch out. Tried to make new friends.

But although Kawamura was sweet and such a nice guy, he didn’t feel that click.

And although he was birds of a feather with Inui, as Inui had his notebook and he had his photo albums, their friendship was just a typical one.

Oishi apparently was the devil incarnate according to one redhead, but to Fuji Shusuke he was just a boy in their tennis club with an unfortunate haircut.

But then there was Tezuka Kunimitsu.

The ever many expressions (lack of expressions) of Tezuka Kunimitsu.

And before he knew it, he had already dedicated an entire photo album to the expressionless freshman.

Every picture with the same impassive bronze eyes always staring blankly through oval-rimmed glasses.

Those lips pressed into a thin deadpan line.

And captions:

_Tezuka’s happy face._

_Tezuka’s upset face when finding out that I scored first in our year. Nickname: Fuji ‘tensai’ Shusuke_

_Tezuka won 6-2 against senpai. Victory face!_

And as he gleefully placed his newest image to the collection, he noted that the taller brunet would have looked handsome if he smiled a little.

... But a constant pokerface was more amusing.

* * *

“They’re playing doubles together.” Fuji pointed out in awe, watching as his redheaded best friend bounced around the tennis court with the once hated Oishi Syuichiro pacing by the baseline.

“Hn.” Tezuka sounded, with a slight shrug.

“And they’re pretty good together.” Fuji observed with a slight tilt of his head, because was that Australian formation?!

Tezuka was never the talkative type, but strangely Fuji discovered that he could hold full hour long conversations with the taller boy without even saying one word.

“We should try doubles.” He added jokingly, glancing upwards expecting to see the usual blank expression.

Instead he could feel his heart skip a beat.

“Maybe. But I’m more of a singles type of guy.” There was a slight upwards curve to Tezuka Kunimitsu’s lips.

And before he could even reach for his camera, the moment was gone.

So he closed his eyes like the shutters of a camera, visualizing the millimeter differences on Tezuka Kunimitsu's face. The way those thin lips curved the slightest, the way those bronze eyes bore into him like they were the only two people in the whole world. And when he opened his eyes, to find Tezuka's attention on the courts once more, he secretly prayed and begged under his breath.

_Please._

 

* * *

 

_To be continued._

 

**Author's Note:**

> So a pretty short chapter. I actually wanted this to be a one shot, but ideas and stuff. So I actually have no idea how many chapters this story might end up with. Please tell me what you think.
> 
> I can just imagine Fuji flipping through his photo albums of a same expressioned Tezuka, just like in that Zoolander calendar scene. It's all about that sexy blue steel. Mmm Le Tigre.


End file.
